Batman doing a One Piece pose? Ya, this is exactly the kind of crossover energy the internet was built for.
A new variant cover for Absolute Batman #20 has been revealed, and it very clearly pays tribute to Monkey D. Luffy’s famous Gear Second moment from One Piece. The artwork, illustrated by Dexter Soy, puts Bruce Wayne into the same kind of stance Luffy used when he first activated Gear 2 during the Enies Lobby arc — one of the most iconic power-up scenes in modern shonen.
The cover was shown on April 20, 2026, and is being released through Big Time Collectibles. This is not one of those “fans are overthinking it” cases either. The reference was officially acknowledged in posts involving Arris Quinones, Big Time Collectibles, and Dexter Soy, so yes, Batman really is borrowing a bit of Straw Hat aura here.
For Malaysian and SEA fans, this is the fun part: the wall between Western comics and manga/anime culture is getting thinner every year. A lot of younger readers here grew up with Batman through movies, cartoons, games, and merch, while One Piece has basically been part of anime life for decades. Seeing DC lean into a direct shonen reference feels less like a random gimmick and more like a sign that publishers know where the hype is.
Absolute Batman itself is part of DC’s Absolute Universe imprint. The series is written by Scott Snyder with art by Nick Dragotta, and the line has been positioned as a more accessible entry point, especially for readers who may be more comfortable with manga than traditional superhero continuity. That direction makes this One Piece nod feel even more deliberate. If DC wants manga readers to notice, referencing one of the biggest manga moments ever is a pretty smart move.
And of course, One Piece is not just “big” — it is monstrous. Eiichiro Oda’s manga began in July 1997, passed 500 million copies in circulation worldwide in August 2022, and celebrated its 25th anniversary that same year. The anime, which started in October 1999, is still going strong, which is honestly gila when you think about how many anime series come and go in one or two seasons.
The franchise is also still stacking projects. The anime recently introduced new theme songs, with Luminous by AiNA THE END as the opening and That Future by Jisoku 36km as the ending. The Elbaph Arc hype has also been building, including new cast additions, with Yuichi Nakamura cast as Loki — a character expected to matter a lot as One Piece heads deeper into its endgame.
Beyond the weekly anime and manga buzz, there is even more on the way. Netflix’s live-action One Piece has Season 3 planned for a 2027 release, WIT Studio is working on the upcoming remake anime, the One Piece: Heroines novel focused on female characters is getting an anime, and a two-part LEGO One Piece animation special is coming to Netflix on September 29.
So yes, this Absolute Batman #20 variant is technically just a cover. But culturally, it is a neat little flex: DC knows shonen fans are watching, and One Piece is powerful enough that even Batman can catch some Gear 2 smoke.
Source: Anime Corner